


Cave In

by Prompto_Cam



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blood, Bromance, Concussions, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Minor Injuries, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-25 02:58:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10755321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prompto_Cam/pseuds/Prompto_Cam
Summary: “Move!” Prompto shouted again, pushing Noctis forwards as Gladio grabbed Ignis and pulled him back, just in time as the spell exploded in the goblin’s hand, sending down a shower of lightning bolts and rocks.The journey into Keycatrich Trench doesn't go smoothly when Noctis and Prompto are separated from Ignis and Gladio; and their exit. Regrouping won't be easy with Prompto injured.





	Cave In

**Author's Note:**

> A little one-shot ahead of My Sacrifice's new chapter release on Monday, enjoy! [Also, I am terrible at writing fights]

They had gone into Keycatrich Trench apprehensive; Cor had led them this far, but he had no intentions of leading them any further to the first tomb that Noctis would need to find in order to claim the power of his ancestors. It was the Prince's job to seek it out, not to be led by the hand like a child. So soon after the loss of their homes and families, none of the boys were fully prepared for the task within; the Trench was filled with demons, free to roam in the darkness and eager for fresh blood.

The goblins were the worst by far. They’d had potions, elixirs and remedies stolen and the little _bastards_ were everywhere. In the cover of darkness, they made perfect little assailants, leaping down from hidden alcoves above their heads.

Gladio’s sword could kill them in a single hit, but he was lucky to land one because of how fast they were, constantly dancing around under his legs with mocking sniggers. Ignis was faster, able to throw a dagger at them with pointed accuracy, but they seemed to _know_ this and swamped him in numbers. Noctis was their most formidable enemy, able to switch between weapons and spells to blast the little buggers right off their feet. Prompto held back, firing off round after round with perfect marksmanship; but again, the goblins learned quickly to get around behind him, jumping at his back and biting at his shoulders.

Prompto kicked one off his leg, reloading quickly before firing off a Starshell above their heads. The goblins screamed, retreating to any spot of darkness they could find and allowing the others a moment to regroup.

“There’s too many of them!” Noctis snapped, annoyed at the turn of events and still venting his frustrations at Insomnia’s demise. Prompto jogged up to join him, pressing his back to Noctis’ as the goblins began to venture out again into the renewed darkness.

“I’ve only got one more Starshell, we gotta get rid of them fast!” He informed, readying his regular ammo. Ignis moved closer to Gladio, taking up a similar position to Prompto and Noctis with his blind spots covered by Gladio.

“It seems goblins from deeper within must have joined in at the sound of the commotion” He observed, recalling his daggers to his hands. “We need to be careful of firing off any more spells, the rocks here aren’t strong enough to handle much” Gladio switched out his sword for his shield; perhaps it would be better to defend Ignis’ back and use it to squash the little bastards like bugs.

“Let's make this the last wave then, we don’t have time to waste here” Noctis ordered, calling forth his daggers for better speed strikes. “Got my back, Prom?”

“You bet I do buddy, getting sick of being bitten!” The goblins were diving back down now that the Starshell had completely dispersed. Prompto fired first, and the others were quick to join the fray, trying to hold their defensive positions in their pairs.

It was a little easier this time around, because the goblins were unable to catch them off guard as much as before. Noctis and Ignis made a good rhythm of throwing one dagger, then throwing the second as the first reappeared in their hands. Prompto barely missed his shots, though the kickback was starting to send an ache up his arm muscles from overuse.

In time, the remaining goblins began to retreat, no doubt to head deeper into the Trench to try again later. But for now it meant they could lower their weapons, watching them retreat for a moment.

“Noct-!” Prompto shouted suddenly, pointing up at a goblin on the ceiling. The others turned to look. The goblin held a flask in its hand, glowing golden in its hands with the contained _thundara_ within. Noctis quickly slapped a hand over his pocket where the spell should have been, only to find it gone. “Move!” Prompto shouted again, pushing Noctis forwards as Gladio grabbed Ignis and pulled him back, just in time as the spell exploded in the goblin’s hand, sending down a shower of lightning bolts and rocks.

Prompto kept moving Noctis forward with a hand on his back, but Noctis was quickly alarmed when he heard the gunner yell, and the hand disappeared from his back. He had no time to even look back, a rock hitting the side of his head and painting his world black.

 

* * *

  
Noctis couldn’t have been out of it for longer than a few minutes, but pain was crashing against the inside of his skull in waves. He groaned, pushing his arms under himself to push up onto his hands and knees. He blinked away the blur to his vision, looking around. The light on his shirt caught on settling dust, and a large wall of stone now blocking their exit.

He pushed himself up, swaying but stable, and pressed his hands to the rocks. “Gladio! Ignis!” He shouted. He waited, and waited. “Ignis! Gladio!” He tried again, a bit louder.

“Noct!” It was muffled, but sounded like Gladio.

“You guys okay?”

“Yeah, but we can’t get through! We’ll try to find another way around and meet you both at the tomb!”

“Got it!” Wait, both? Yes, Prompto! He spun around again, looking for his blonde-haired companion. He’d thought that Prompto must have been caught on the other side with Gladio and Ignis. His cursed his carelessness, breath catching in his throat for a moment as he tried to spot Prompto with his ridiculously small light.

He found him; still flat out on the floor near the rubble. “Crap! Prom, are you alright?” He asked, dropping to his knees at his side and shaking his shoulder. Prompto groaned in response. Noctis moved his light to shine it on Prompto.

Red stained his blonde hair at the back.

He carefully brushed Prompto’s hair out of the way, finding the source of the blood to be a cut to his scalp; though it didn’t look deep, it had certainly bled quite a bit in a short space of time. He gently pressed his fingers to it, earning another groan but only coming back with flaking, dry blood. He breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t still bleeding at least and tried to roll Prompto onto his side to get him roused.

The gunner gasped sharply, blue eyes snapping open and a string of curses falling from his mouth as he pushed Noctis away. Noctis held his hands up defensively, watching Prompto roll back onto his stomach, his right hand tightly gripping the back of his right leg as he dug his forehead into the other arm supporting him, gagging on a pained groan.

“Oh damn, Prom, a-are you okay?” He asked again, carefully settling his hands on Prompto’s shoulders.

“M-my leg” He grit out between his teeth, not yet ready to try lifting his head.

Noctis moved his light down Prompto’s body, stopping at his lower leg; or at least, where it should be. His lower right leg was trapped under the fallen rubble; the left had only been saved because it was bent at the knee. “Damn it” Noctis cursed, crawling down to see if he could move anything. “Prom, you’re trapped” He said, trying his best not to let his own worry be heard. “I’ve got to try and move these rocks; they’re only little ones but it’s probably going to hurt a bit” He explained, only receiving a nod and a pained hum in response.  

It took only a few minutes; he tried not to move anything too quickly in case it made anything else fall, but he was able to free most of Prompto’s leg, though his foot was still stuck, trapped under heavier rocks. “Prom, I can’t move this one... it might dislodge the other rocks” He said, crawling back up to Prompto’s head. He had turned it to the side, leaving it rested on his arm while Noctis worked. His eyes were glazed with pain and uncertainty, but at least he was somewhat coherent. “You need to try and pull your foot out of your boot” Noctis explained. Prompto tried to look over his shoulder at it, but soon gave up, shaking his head with another pained mumble.

Noctis slid a hand under Prompto’s cheek, making him look up at him again. “Prom, we can’t stay here. We have to meet up with the others and we can’t do that if you don’t help me out here. If I have to move you, it’ll hurt more” He explained, giving his cheek a tap when he tried to close his eyes again. “I’ll find us somewhere to rest, I promise, but you need to get your foot free”

He forced Prompto to turn as much as he could, and Prompto seemed to finally understand what he needed to do. He pressed his hands down under him to hold himself up in his twisted position. He tried to move his leg, but he quickly brought his hand up to his mouth and bit into his glove to stop the pained cry that wanted to come out. “C’mon Prom, you can do it” Noctis encouraged, carefully sliding his hands under Prompto’s leg to try and support him a little. Prompto bit down harder on his glove, twisting and pulling his foot until it came free. He lowered himself back down onto his stomach, cushioning his forehead into his arms, panting to catch his breath. He felt Noctis’ hands rubbing circles into his back as he rode through the wave of pain that seemed to race up and down his entire body.

Noctis dared to look down at Prompto’s leg and had to flinch at the sight of it. The ankle wasn’t quite straight, but not bent so horribly that it was badly broken. His pants were torn, blood staining them from the cuts and scrapes caused by the rocks. There was no way in hell Prompto was going to be able to walk on that. “Okay buddy, let's get you moving” He encouraged, pulling Prompto’s right arm out from under his head and dragging it around his shoulder. “You’ve got to help me though; you need to stand, but don’t put your right leg down, alright?” He said, trying his best to pull him up. Prompto grumbled, but got his left foot under himself and used that to help Noctis get him upright.

“Where... where are the others?” Prompto finally asked, glancing around in the dim cave.

“Trapped on the other side, but Gladio said they were okay. They’re looking for another way around, so we’ve got to get to the tomb to meet up with them... think you can manage that?”

“Dunno” Prompto mumbled, trying to hop along with Noctis when he started to move deeper into the cave. “I don’t... feel good” He said honestly, relying on Noctis’ arm around his waist to keep him upright, screwing his eyes shut to fight down the wave of nausea that hit him. It didn't work, and after only a few steps Noctis was having to hold him steady while he emptied his stomach onto the cave floor.

“Just... try to keep awake for now, alright? You took quite a blow to the head” Noctis said, not forgetting the pain thumping through his own skull. He was just glad his blurred vision had cleared enough for him to lead on. But he wasn’t sure how they would fight like this. Prompto wasn’t going to be able to put his foot down with it in this state. He would need to try and get the ankle straight as soon as he could, but for now he needed to find them a remotely safe place to rest for a bit and form some kind of plan.

 

* * *

 

He wasn’t sure how long they hobbled on like that, but Noctis could feel Prompto leaning heavier and heavier against him, until it was getting too hard to move him on his own. He did his best to keep encouraging the blonde, but he was pretty sure nothing was really getting through to him anymore. Damn those little hellions for stealing his last potion; Ignis always carried the majority of their stuff because at least he was the responsible one. Noctis was going to have to have words with him about this.

He found a small outcropping in the stone walls and decided this was the best they were going to find with Prompto only half able to walk with him. He carefully eased Prompto to sit down against a wall, not missing the grimace as it jarred his wounded ankle. They were both panting from the effort of the walk, Prompto more so than Noctis. He glanced down to Prompto's foot again; he needed to do something about that ankle. It needed to be straight, he knew that. But he had nothing to brace it with.

He tried to think of what they had stored in the armiger; the tent, weapons, ingredients, Iggy's 'emergency' Ebony stash, cooking supplies, a first aid kid and some other miscellaneous items. He held his hands out and summoned the first aid kit, rummaging through it for any ideas. Other than bandages, antiseptic, a sling and some band-aids it wasn't too helpful. Not even a spare potion! He grumbled, but took out the bandages to wrap up Prompto's ankle. Now he just needed something to use as a splint.

He thought back to the tent again. He could perhaps use some of the poles? There were definitely some shorter ones, but he wasn't sure they would be sturdy enough. No, that just wasn't going to work. They would just have to make sure Prompto didn't walk on it.

"You still with me buddy?" He asked, reaching up to tap Prompto's cheek. He grumbled, but his eyes opened in small slits. "I know, I'm tired too... But I have to try and fix your ankle and I'd rather you be awake for it" He explained, moving down to carefully lift Prompto's leg and lay it across his knees.

"No... 's too painful" Prompto whimpered, his hand gripping at Noctis' sleeve to try and stop him.

"You know as well as I do that it can't stay like this. It'll heal bad" Noctis tried to reason, but Prompto still shook his head. "Prom... I'm sorry, you need to hold tight and let me do this... that... that's an order" He stated. He saw Prompto's shoulders tense; even in his pained, half out of it state he still recognized that he couldn't disobey a direct order.

"M'kay" He mumbled, letting go of Noctis' sleeve.

"You'll thank me later, alright?" Noctis mumbled; he hated ordering his friend like that, but at least it had worked. He carefully slid one hand under Prompto's heel and the other on his ankle, slowly guiding the foot into its usual straight position. Prompto shouted out a sharp yell, fingers digging into the ground under him. His head tipped back, lightly hitting the cave wall behind him but the pain that caused was only a dull throb. Noctis held his foot steady until his heavy, sharp breaths started to calm down.

Prompto forced his eyes back open when he didn't feel like he was going to throw up and Noctis took that as a good sign to continue. He rolled up Prompto's torn jeans and started to wrap up the ankle in bandages, wrapping them firmly but hopefully not too tight. "There, I'm done" He assured as he secured the bandage in place with a safety pin he found in the first aid kit. He kept Prompto's leg on his legs though, hoping the slight elevation and cushioning would help.

"Noct... I don't feel good" Prompto mumbled. Noctis laid a hand on Prompto's leg, his thumb stroking up and down lightly; at least the pain had woken Prompto up a bit more.

"I know Prom. It's probably because of that knock you took to the head... mine doesn't feel great either" He admitted, lifting his free hand to the lump on the left side of his head. It hadn't cut, but it felt sore and bruised. "Just try and stay awake with me for a bit, okay? Keep talking with me" Prompto nodded faintly, turning his head to look at Noctis.

"Were you hurt?" He asked. Noctis just shook his head.

"Took a bump to the head but I've had worse. I'd probably be a pancake right now if it wasn't for you" Noctis tried to joke. It earned him a little chuckle from Prompto.

"I've come up with a new recipe~h" Prompto sniggered, sending them both into little giggles not befitting of a Prince and his guard in a dark, demon-infested dungeon. "Oh man... Iggy would have my head if he heard that"

"You bet he would" Noctis agreed, watching over Prompto as he shifted himself more comfortably, resting his head on the cave wall with a gentle sigh. Noctis was worried about how bad the concussion was, but there was really nothing more he could do but try to keep Prompto awake. "We'll rest here for a little before we try to move on, but you won't be able to walk on this foot. We'll have to move quietly and try to avoid any demons" He explained, earning a soft hum from Prompto.

"I've still got one Starshell... if we get in too much trouble, I can use that" He remembered, summoning his gun to his hand to double check what he had. They both looked up at a hum of power, just moments before dim lights turned on over their heads.

"Huh... Ignis and Gladio must have found that generator we mentioned earlier... that's certainly gunna help at least" Noctis said, turning off his own light. At least now they would be able to see. "They must have found another tunnel. I'm guessing that means they're still safe"

"I guess we should get moving then right? If they're gunna keep going we should too, or they'll beat us there and Ignis will worry himself to death" Prompto suggested, pulling his left leg under himself and using the wall to steady himself as he stood. Noctis moved to stand with him, holding onto Prompto's arm as the dizziness settled.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? You don't look stable still" Noctis muttered, brows knitting together with worry.

"Hey, if we're moving I can't sleep. Like you said, we'll take it slow and quiet" He assured, slinging his arm around Noctis' shoulder to take some of his weight.

"Guess I can't argue with that logic" Noctis shrugged, hooking an arm around Prompto's waist and leading on again, deeper into the dungeon.

 

* * *

 

They wandered carefully through the dungeon for about an hour, keeping a keen ear out for the appearance of any unwanted company. There had been a close call with an Arachne, but they managed to find another passageway that took them around it. Conversation was minimal, both boys trying not to draw too much attention to themselves by making any sound. The biggest problem though was that Prompto was slowing down, hopping along taking up more energy that he'd thought it would but he didn't dare try to set his right foot down.

Soon enough, they got caught out. They should have known better really as soon as they saw the wide open room; it just _screamed_ of danger, yet they tried to inch their way around the edge of the room. It didn't work, goblins, an Arachne and a couple of Hobgoblins crawling up from the ground and dropping from the ceiling.

"Go, I'll be okay from here" Prompto insisted, twisting himself free from Noctis and summoning his gun. He had to lean himself back against the wall to keep himself steady, but it meant nothing could sneak up on him at least. Noctis wanted to protest, but there was no way he could fight while holding on to Prompto. He summoned his sword, warping into the fight to take on the Arachne.

Prompto started on the Goblins, keeping their attention on him. Round after round was fired, keeping them at a distance from him and picking them off one by one. The Hobgoblins were trying to get at Noctis, but he was warping around both of them before they could hit him, keeping his attacks focused on the Arachne.

With most of the Goblins dispatched, Prompto turned his attention to one of the Hobgoblins, firing a single shot to its back. It whirled around, snarling and jumping at him. He yelped, only just twisting himself away in time. He set his right foot down, and the ankle immediately gave way under him, toppling him over to the floor. He raised his gun when the Hobgoblin turned, shooting once, twice; the chest and head. It fell away from him, dissipating into nothing. Prompto groaned, pushing himself to stand up again with a wince.

"Damn it!" Noctis snapped, warping away from the Arachne when it took another swipe for him. He stumbled as he landed, his body letting off a faint pink glow. Prompto cursed; Noctis was in Stasis, trying to stay on his feet when everything around him felt like it was trying to topple over. Prompto pushed away from the wall, ignoring the pain that shot up his leg as he tried to get across the room in time.

"Noct, move!" He yelled, prompting the dark-haired man to turn around. But he couldn't move in time; or at all, once the Arachne's stop ability hit him. He was frozen in place, and Prompto could see the Hobgoblin going in to attack.

It was a close shave, but Prompto slammed himself into Noctis in time for the Hobgoblin's claws to strike down his back as they both toppled to the floor. The air was knocked right out of Noctis' lungs, but he still couldn't move; and Prompto didn't even try, holding his body over Noctis' as a shield but trying not to squash him. Noctis could see Prompto's eyes screwed shut, waiting for the next blow.

It never came.

The Hobgoblin screamed in pain, the sound of clanging weapons filling the room around them.

"Noct! Prom!" Prompto heaved out a deep breath of relief. Hearing Gladio's voice was like an angel singing right now. Prompto pushed himself to roll off of Noctis, finding comfort in the sight of Gladio and Ignis fighting the Arachne away from them. He jumped when a remedy appeared in front of his face, and he looked up.

"M-Marshall!" He exclaimed in surprise. Cor gave the remedy a little shake, and Prompto took the hint, taking it from him and pushing it into Noctis' hand, helping his stiff hand curl until it crushed. Noctis groaned, pushing himself to sit up. "Hop back to it buddy!" Prompto said, slapping Noctis across the back and earning a grunt.

"Yeah, yeah. Stay here" Noctis said, pushing himself up and restoring his weapon to his hand, throwing it to warp back in now that a little of his MP had returned. Prompto didn't protest, feeling the throb in his ankle, across his back and returning to his skull. Trying to fight and run in his state had probably been an _awful_ idea.

Before he could let himself flop back to the ground, he felt an arm side around the back of his shoulders and haul him up. He hopped to stay off his bad foot again, looking up to find that it was in fact Cor helping him stay on his feet.

"You did good, Prompto" Cor said with a nod, pulling Prompto away from the middle of the room to get him through the door that he and Noctis had been aiming for. Prompto wanted to be excited at the compliment, but it was kind of hard with all the pain he was suffering. Cor eased him down slowly once they were in the next tunnel, Prompto hissing with pain. Cor held him steady by his shoulder so he wouldn't lean against his back.

"Th-thanks, Marshall" Prompto finally managed, shutting his eyes for a moment as the pain settled to something more bearable.

The next thing he was aware of was a cool hand on his forehead. He groaned, not sure when he had dozed off but forcing his eyes back open to find Ignis knelt in front of him.

"Here, take this" Ignis said, pressing a flask into Prompto's hand. He looked down at it for a moment, and then crushed the hi-potion. He breathed a sigh of relief as it washed over him, easing his pain. It burned a little as the wounds on his back worked themselves back together, but he felt much better and more alert.

"Thanks Iggy" He said as Ignis moved around him to assess the damage to his back.

"It seems to have completely healed these wounds, given how fresh they were. How are you feeling otherwise?" Ignis asked, bare fingers gently brushing over where the gashes had been a moment ago; it made Prompto shiver.

"Umm... I think I'm okay? My head doesn't hurt as bad, I dunno about my ankle" Prompto explained.

"What happened to your ankle?" Gladio asked as he stepped into Prompto's vision.

"When the rocks fell, we both got knocked out. Some of them trapped Prom's leg. It didn't break, but it was kinda bent. I managed to get it straight and keep him off it" Noctis explained for him, to which Ignis merely gave a hum.

"You did the right thing. It would probably be best not to put weight on it just yet" Ignis suggested, helping Prompto back up to his feet.

"So uh, what happened with you guys?" Prompto asked, hooking his arm around Ignis as the taller man supported him.

"We doubled back and were able to find the Marshall. Once we explained the situation he assisted us in finding an alternate route. We found the tomb, and then heard your gun firing so we came to look for you" Ignis explained as he helped Prompto walk after Cor and Noctis who were leading the way, Gladio falling at the back of the group.

"Good thing you did. Didn't fancy being ripped up any more" Prompto chuckled.

"Yes, that would have been unfortunate. Thankfully we should be able to fix you up back at the Prairie Outpost. Monica is well practiced at dealing with minor injuries"

It was Noctis' second Royal Arm; the Sword of the Wise. The anxieties and stresses of the last few days seemed lost on Noctis once he'd collected it, a cool calm washing over him. Prompto just hoped that maybe next time, Noctis could keep a hold on his spells.

 


End file.
